Good price makes Naogaon jute growers happy

A CorrespondentNaogaon: Farmers of the district are very happy this year due to the good price of jute after so many years.According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), jute is now selling at Tk 1,800-2,000 per maund while its highest price was Tk 1,500 per maund last year.However, the land brought under jute cultivation this year is lesser than that of the past year as many growers did not take interest in cultivating it due to its low prices in previous years.DAE sources said farmers cultivated jute on 7,200 hectares of land this time which was 8,300 hectares in the previous year.Some local farmers said they will cultivate jute on more lands next year as they are getting good prices this year.Sekandar Ali, a farmer of Enayetpur village in Manda upazila, said he cultivated jute on 40 decimals of land and the total cost of the production was Tk 8,000. He got Tk 22,000 selling his jute.Farmers of Shitli Hasna village in Mohadebpur upazila said the price of per maund jute was Tk 800-900 three years back which increased to Tk 1,400-1,500 last year, and it is now selling at Tk 1,800-2,000 per maund.They are now making a profit of Tk 6,000-7,000 from per of bigha jute, said the farmers.Some wholesale buyers of jute said they are buying jute from farmers at Tk 1,800-2,000 per maund and they will sell it to mills at Tk 2,100-2,300 per maund.DAE deputy-director Monojit Kumar Mallik said many farmers could not plant seedlings for heavy rainfall at the beginning of the season, which is the main reason behind the fall in jute farming.If the weather remains favourable, the production will get a boost next year, hoped the official.